We gained a good one.

First off, I just had the urge to once make a blog and just share to the world what has been going on in my life. I thought there's no better way to start it off with the love of my grandparents.

Today was quite an interesting day, to say the least.  I knew my grandma has not been doing well at all, but didn't think it would come to be so sudden. Yesterday around 10pm, Steve and I came home from school and we were anxiously waiting to see our parents.  We came home to an empty house, so we already knew something was wrong.  My dad has been with his parents, at the hospital, for 4 nights straight with no shower and has not even been home to change his clothes. He's been giving my Grandma all the care he can, while trying to comfort my Grandpa in this sad time. Talk about dedication.

We didn't get to see him yesterday, so we spent Christmas Eve just doing our own thing with Steve and mom and went out to dinner and opened presents without dad for the first year..how weird...

Fast forward. We go to the hospital Christmas Day and my parents wouldn't even let Steve and I see her because they said "she doesn't even look human".  As much as I wanted too, I knew I shouldn't either.  My aunt, uncle, cousin, etc. were all in the lobby with us, playing with the little baby.  We were just contemplating on what to do, when after so long, Grandpa asked if we would sing a song for Grandma.  They always LOVED Christmas songs.  I couldn't hear which one, but we gathered around in a circle, in the middle of the lobby, held hands, and sang four verses of Silent Night- Grandma's favorite Christmas song.  My heart melted.  Grandpa choking up throughout the whole thing got us all.  They were seriously the couple that could never ever separate, however, we knew that it was getting close.

After, we ate Christmas lunch at the hospital, them serving us a buffet. (Very nice..but we all know hospital food is nothing compared to grandma's cooking!)  In the middle of it, Grandpa asked if we could sing another song for Grandma.  Everyone stopped eating and sang Away in a Manger, because it was Christ's birthday.  The workers in the cafeteria looked at us the entire time and after we were done came over to us and said how nice that was and hoped we would have a great Christmas.  Very nice of them.

Fast forward some more.. Steve, mom, and I all went to see The Little Fockers..right after we get out my mom said she got a missed call. Steve looks at his phone, he did too.  Me as well... Obviously, we have a hunch. Then my mom gets a text from my dad saying, "She's with the angels".  I start tearing up.

Eventually we are all together again, as a family of 4, and dad opens all of his presents and he talks all about Grandma & Grandpa and their life spent together.
Let me just show you how cute they are.

The whole point I'm actually writing is this:
I have never seen a love like theirs before.  The first time I saw The Notebook, I immediately thought of them. I knew if one went without another, the other would be torn to pieces.  My dad was telling us all about their life: how they met, how long they've spent together, and how they were raised.  I had no idea that my Grandpa left his job just to take care of my Grandma when he found out she had diabetes and was getting more and more sick.  My dad went on and on and talked about the greatest of the love they had. They've spent their entire life together. All they knew was each other. Her life was his, and his life was hers. They were married for 62 years in the same house.  They did everything together. My Grandpa would get my Grandma's paper every single morning, even if it meant he had to wake up extra early and would take an extra long nap after.  He would make her coffee just right, for 62 years, every single day they were married.  They would sit in the exact same spot in church, for over 60 years.  They were the old couple everyone loved and that everyone wanted to be like.
Now, 91 years later, and my Grandma is finally with her Lord. My Grandpa was sitting next to the hospital bed and just stroking her hair saying how beautiful she was, as she is lying there dying. My heart melted even more, if possible.

Later, my dad also told us, that in a few days when they have the church service for her, they are going to sit in the exact same spot that they have been for 60+ years.  Grandpa will sit in his spot to the far front, 4 rows back, and on the left side.  And Grandma?  She will be there right with him. Grandpa is going to have a picture of her framed and sitting next to him in her spot the entire time. Never leaving his side...just like the past 60 years they have been together.  (I'm tearing up as I type this!)

Sitting back and watching the love for each other take place has just made me realize how rare true love is.  They would both do anything for each other and have just made me so happy and proud to be a Grandchild of theirs.  What makes me happy the most is that it was on Christmas.  I can just know that my Grandma has asked the Lord previous times for her to just take her, but he was waiting for this special day.  Christ is celebrating she's in heaven, and she's celebrating he's there!

I keep babbling on, this is especially because my thoughts are everywhere tonight..but it just amazes me at the power of love. Seeing them treat each other with such respect and care and joy has reminded me all these years of how Christ would treat everyone of us. Never hurting us, always watching out for us, always asking where we are, and always loving us.  There is no greater love than that. Cliche, but true.

I just hope that more couples like them will be able to live strong and stay together to show others, like myself, how great love can truly be.  It was truly a blessing growing up to see them together and cherish one another, and I hope I can only do the same with my future husband.  This world has skewed love in such a different way then it should be. Always put love into perspective into your own life.  Look at your friends around you, family, roommates.  You never know when they will be gone.  The greatest thing in this world is love.. and guess what?  Everyone is capable of it.